Unfounded and Dramatic’ – Akpabio Claps Back At Abbo’s Harsh Criticism OF Senate Leadership

Abbo, in an interview on Arise News on Wednesday night, April 2, 2025, alleged that Akpabio was running the Nigerian Senate like a personal empire and targeting senators who disagreed with him. However, in a statement issued by Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media, Rt. Hon Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President refuted these allegations, describing them as part of a continued pattern of “spurious and malicious” remarks made by Abbo following his ouster from the Senate.

Akpabio rejected the notion of Senate interference, clarifying that the legal process that led to Abbo’s removal was entirely in accordance with the law and was not influenced by any political figures. The statement also highlighted that Abbo had made similar accusations in 2023, only to later retract them, admitting that his earlier claims were “premature and based on the available information at our disposal.”

The statement pointed out that Abbo had previously acknowledged that he had no involvement in the judicial process that led to his removal from the Senate, making his current remarks seem contradictory. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Court of Appeal, after a thorough legal process, ruled unequivocally that Mr. Abbo’s presence in the Red Chamber was in error,” the statement read.

Akpabio’s office emphasized that the Court had acted in accordance with the law and confirmed that Abbo was not validly elected as the Senator for Adamawa North, resulting in his removal. Furthermore, Akpabio, a seasoned lawyer and democrat, reiterated his respect for the judiciary and denied any interference in its processes.

The statement also addressed Abbo’s claims about unpaid benefits, including salaries and allowances, stressing that payments are only approved once they meet lawful standards and have been properly vetted by the appropriate administrative units. Any failure to process Abbo’s payments was attributed to a failure to meet these standards, not any personal vendetta.

Akpabio’s office also reminded Nigerians of the 2019 incident involving Abbo, where he was caught on video assaulting a female citizen, which led to a court-ordered N50 million compensation. The statement criticized Abbo’s ongoing media theatrics and inability to accept the consequences of his legal and political setbacks, describing it as a desperate attempt to maintain political relevance.

The statement concluded: “It is unfortunate that despite publicly retracting a similar allegation in 2023—after admitting that his earlier accusation was ‘premature and based on the available information at our disposal’—Mr. Abbo has once again resorted to misinformation and blame-shifting. It is puzzling that he would return to the same baseless allegations he once renounced, especially after acknowledging that Senator Akpabio had ‘no involvement’ in the judicial process that led to his removal.”